Gent 6 Day Weekend: Ed Hood would usually be working laborious bellow the observe within the Gent Velodrome, however again in 2017 he was in Belgium as a spectator and a fan. For a full weekend of enjoyable you need to take within the bars, the beers, the burgers in addition to a cyclo-cross and the motion on the boards.
In January we misplaced our pal and colleague Ed Hood, two years after his devastating stroke. We are going to always remember Ed and his information, connections within the biking world, his writing type and love for the game. Ed wrote hundreds of gorgeous articles for PEZ, so we pays homage the ‘King of the Blackberry’ with re-runs of his nice work.
And an enormous thanks to everybody who contributed to Ed’s ‘Go Fund Me’. It made an enormous distinction to his final two years.
You may learn the PEZ-Crew’s reminiscences of Ed Hood HERE.
Ed takes up the story:
A person with a weak bladder may simply go bust in Gent at 50 cents per journey to the ‘little boys room’.
They need to make fortunes from that alone, by no means thoughts the a whole lot of gallons of pils which trigger you to go to within the first place. That’s one of many many issues which have modified in Gent – the bathrooms don’t odor practically as dangerous as they used to.
Don’t purchase into the nostalgia that little has modified in Gent: it has. Gentrification goes on apace with grubby previous retailers being transformed into stylish barber’s retailers, hipster cafes and funky delis. Gent was not too long ago voted one of many 10 finest metropolis locations in Europe by one of many huge English newspapers.
Up at The Kuipke issues have modified too; the observe remains to be 166 meters and never for the faint hearted, the pils nonetheless flows like a Scottish Highland river throughout the spring soften, the rider cabins are dire, and the Flemish followers nonetheless love these Dernys. However while the plumbing has improved, the racing has not.
Final yr’s Wiggins & Cav late lap acquire and win was excruciatingly apparent and clumsy. This yr Kenny De Ketele & Moreno De Pauw went into the final chase with a lap and a 77 factors lead on French World Madison Champions, Morgan Kneisky and Benjamin Thomas.
An hour later it was a TWO lap lead and 75 factors – hardly a cliff hanger.
When Iljo Keisse received his first Gent six with Matt Gilmore; when cavalier Robert Slippens & Danny Stam swooped and swerved to prime spot and when rainbow jerseyed Michael Mørkøv and Alex Rasmussen received, it was all on that final dash. Theatre coming to an exquisite climax – not a rattling procession. OK, that’s off my chest. . .
Friday: Ryanair, Edinburgh to Charleroi then decide up the rent automobile – however not earlier than we raid the frituur on the airport. Gent, examine in to the lodge and head for bar de Karper to gather our tickets from proprietor – and Iljo’s dad – Ronnie Keisse – however not earlier than a pils or two on the Vivaldi (presumably the perfect bar on the planet). Our seats had been good ones, block C simply previous the end line.
Kenny & Moreno received the satan, the time trial, the madison and the Derny – you could detect a sample there. . .
We took time to go down and see the Nice Britain workforce: Ollie Wooden who was fourth within the U23 World Highway Race Championship in Bergen and European U23 omnium and particular person pursuit champion, Scotsman Mark Stewart.
Ollie crashed on night time two so maybe wasn’t on his finest sport however each males had been in good spirits, contemplating – together with Martyn Frank, their soigneur. And the bike of the race?
Elia Viviani’s metallic blue Pinarello Derny/TT machine, the gold bunch bike was only a tad too blingy for me.
Gary Hagger was the leisure for the night, assume dangerous pub singer allowed to wander freely round a cycle observe with a radio mic. However butchered songs and Belgian domination on the boards – or is it gluttony? – aside, not a foul previous night time.
And rattling! These burgers hit the spot. The tunes within the Vivaldi had been nice – even the dig was getting down – the corporate was good and Maes pils was simply good.
Saturday: The hangovers weren’t too dangerous and it wasn’t to this point as much as Uitbergen and the cyclo-cross. A couple of years again it was once the Koksijde World Cup ‘cross within the sand – however there was a program reshuffle and the dunes are left in peace this weekend. Perhaps for the perfect; Uitbergen was cool – grass roots, schoolboys, juniors and U23/elites with out contract. We missed the masters’ races however caught the end of the schoolboys end.
‘Cost of the Gentle Brigade’ – that’s the beginning of a Belgian ‘cross, the juniors went off like workforce dash man primary’s.
We’ll be operating a full report on our day within the fields however thought you would possibly wish to see how the quick guys hop these hurdles?
Winner Yenti Bekaert is definitely nonetheless a junior and will effectively be a reputation for the longer term.
It was chilly, rattling chilly as we headed again to the rent automobile however the bikes should cleaned, irrespective of how chilly it’s – there’s a race tomorrow, you already know?
Gary Hagger had the night time off and it three pretty girls serenaded us, The Supremes they weren’t however with legs that lengthy, who cares?
Moreno has been nursing a foul again via this race and between races his soigneur Tino was working to ease the ache.
However he seemed sharp sufficient within the Derny with our mechanic amigo, Dirk administering the large push at first. We’d fancied watching the five hundred meter time trial however this system was operating hideously late and Saturday is at all times night time for tunes within the Vivaldi; Billy Paul with ‘Solely the Sturdy Survive’, Englebert’s Europop model of ‘Strangers within the Evening’.
Dave needed to drag me out someday carrying on for 03:00 am, when does The Vivaldi name ‘time!’? Who is aware of?
Sunday: Years of follow meant we had been up for breakfast on time and within the Kuipke the place our amigo Dirk Van Hove was caring for the Kiwi U23 workforce.
It wasn’t an impressed race and Dirk’s face says all of it – the native Belgian lads ran away with it.
For the primary time, we caught the rolling presentation of groups; some riders like is as heat up and others assume it’s a bore.
Mark and Ollie battled laborious within the satan however Viviani was simply that bit too fast for everybody.
The ultimate chase wasn’t nice however Kenny and Moreno WERE the perfect workforce on the observe – I simply want they had been extra of the ‘Bruno Risi Faculty’ the place it’s not only a final chase, it’s the ultimate act of an opera.
As I mentioned to Iljo Keisse up at his dad’s bar, de Karper after the race; ‘we miss you, man!’
Monday: No ‘crosses on a Monday and many of the retailers are shut so we headed into city to see our amigo Ian Whitehead who works with Fietsambassade. Gent, which is supported by the Metropolis of Gent and is a big bike rent/restore depot which operates as a non-profit making group.
The town goals to take over from the Dutch cities as ‘The European Metropolis of the Bicycle’ with packages like this and the introduction of an increasing number of bike lanes across the metropolis. You solely assume you’ve seen a number of bikes in a single place till you go to right here.
The Tour of Flanders Museum in Oudenaarde, we haven’t visited for ages – it was definitely worth the journey.
It’s nonetheless a thrill for me to see Tom Simpson’ title up there with these of a few of the biggest bike riders who’ve ever lived. Within the window there’s a row of cobbles with the title of each winner painted on them – the 1977 entry has two although, Roger De Vlaeminck the official winner however on prime of it’s one for the ‘ethical victor’, Freddy Maertens who Le Gitane sat on for 70 kilometers and duly out-sprinted Freddy while Maertens was declassed for an ‘unlawful bike change’.
What many overlook is that Freddy was ‘double declassed’ as he additionally failed a dope check. Totally different days. . .
Then was it again to de Karper to interview Iljo’s dad, Ronie – that may run quickly and it’s a goodie.
What was left to do?
Discover a frituur in fact. . .
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